The No. 11/14 Colorado College Tigers return home to face the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, March 1-2, at Ed Robson Arena. Friday's game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., while Saturday contest will begin at 6 p.m. Live streaming and live stats links can be found at CCTigers.com.

How To Listen / Watch
Both games this weekend will be broadcast live in the Colorado Springs area and Southern Colorado on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM / 95.5 FM / 1240 AM with the 'Voice of the Tigers' Ken Landau and streamed on NCHC.tv. Friday's contest will be televised live on SOCO CW with Josh Howe and Kyle Huson.

Last Time Out
The Tigers lost to and tied 19th-ranked Omaha last weekend at Baxter Arena ... On Friday, Jack Randl had a goal and an assist and Simon Latkoczy made 24 saves to the Mavericks a 3-0 victory. The Tigers lost for just the second time in their last 10 games and the fourth time in 13 road games this season. Randl opened the scoring with 3:50 remaining in the first period. He took a pass from Nolan Krenzen at the bottom of the right circle and sent a one-timer past CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko. After Tyler Coffey was whistled for a tripping call later in the period, Noah Laba had a clean breakaway during the penalty kill, but was stopped by Latkoczy. CC's Logan Will nearly evened the score early in the second period, but his shot from the left circle clanged off the pipe, while Mbereko made a couple of outstanding saves during an Omaha power play later in the frame to keep it 1-0 after 40 minutes. Ty Mueller doubled the lead for Omaha at the 6:05 mark of he third period. He took a centering pass from Randl and scored from the slot, then Nolan Sullivan scored an empty-netter with 2:19 remaining for the final tally. The Tigers outshot Omaha, 24-20, including an 11-6 advantage in the third period, but couldn't solve Latkoczy. Mbereko finished with 17 saves and neither team scored on the power play ... On Saturday, 10th-ranked Colorado College and No. 19 Omaha wrapped up their weekend series with a 1-1 tie Saturday night at Baxter Arena. The Mavericks won the shootout, 1-0, to earn the extra point in the NCHC standings. Tiger goaltender Kaidan Mbereko as outstanding once again, making 41 saves, the second-most in his career. He had 32 saves in the last two periods of regulation and overtime. Bret Link put the Tigers ahead 1-0 just 3:26 into the contest. Link took a pass from Ryan Beck and fired a wrist shot past Omaha goalie Simon Latkoczy from the right circle for his fourth goal of the season. Beck collected his team-high 17th assist on the play and Jack Millar his eighth. The Tigers were outshot 10-3 in the second period, but Mbereko came up with 10 saves, including six during Omaha's two power-play opportunities. The third period was an even bigger discrepancy as Omaha posted 19 shots, while CC mustered just three. Mbereko was outstanding and kept the Tigers ahead until Nolan Sullivan put home a rebound in front of the net with 2:55 remaining in regulation. The Tigers drew a penalty in overtime but couldn't capitalize on the 4-on-3 power play. For the second straight night, neither team scored with a man advantage, Omaha was 0-for-4, while CC was 0-for-3. Tanner Ludtke was the only player to score in the shootout, beating Mbereko with a wrist shot. Omaha finished with a 42-19 shot advantage. Latkoczy made 18 saves, including stopping all three Tigers in the shootout.

First Winning Record in 12 Years  
Colorado College's victory over North Dakota on Feb. 17 clinched its first winning season since the 2011-12 campaign. CC's 18 wins ties for the most in a season since 2010-11, when it won 23 games. The 2011-12 and '12-13 teams each won 18 games.   

Best Record in 16 Years  
Colorado College's 18-10-2 record after 30 overall games and 12-7-1 mark after 20 conference games are the best since the 2007-08 season (21-8-1 and 15-4-1). The Tigers are tied for 12th in the nation with 18 wins.   

Staying Close to Top 10 in National Polls  
Colorado College moved down one spot in both Division I national polls this week. The Tigers are No. 11 in the USCHO.com poll and the USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll. Last week (No. 10) was CC's first appearance in the Top 10 since Feb. 6, 2012.
 
The Coaches
Kris Mayotte is in his third season at the helm of the Tigers. He came to Colorado College after serving two years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan. Mayotte was an assistant coach for Providence College when the Friars won the NCAA Division I title in 2015. In addition, he has won a pair of gold medals and a bronze in four stints as an assistant coach with Team USA at the World Junior Championships … Scott Sandelin is in his 24th season at Minnesota Duluth. He led the Bulldogs to the 2011, 2018 and 2019 national championships and won the Spencer Penrose Award (Division I Coach of the Year) in 2004.

Previous Meetings
The Tigers and Minnesota Duluth have met 208 times, with the Bulldogs holding a 110-87-11 advantage in the series, including a 51-47-6 mark in Colorado Springs. The teams split a pair of games in Duluth earlier this season, with UMD winning 3-2 in overtime on  Jan. 12 and CC doing the same the following night.  

Mbereko Named Richter Award Semifinalist
Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko has been named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goaltender in men's NCAA Division I hockey since 2014. Mbereko is the lone NCHC goalie and sophomore to make the list of 10 semifinalists. Three finalists will be announced in early March and the winner will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

Up Next
The Tigers wrap up the regular season with a home-and-home series against Denver, March 8-9. The game on Friday, March 8 will be played at Robson Arena, beginning at 8 p.m., and televised on CBS Sports Network, while the contest on Saturday, March 9 at Magness Arena is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.

Laba and Mbereko Named Hobey Baker Nominees
Sophomores Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko are among 84 student-athletes nominated for the 2024 Hobey Baker Award. The Hobey Baker Award is presented annually to the collegiate hockey player who best demonstrates strength of character both on and off the ice, contributes to the integrity of his team and displays outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration is given for scholastic achievement and sportsmanship. Colorado College has had two winners since the first Hobey Baker was awarded in 1981, Peter Sejna (2003) and Marty Sertich (2005).

Tiger Tales
Colorado College is 8-3-1 in its last 12 games vs. ranked opponents and has lost just twice in regulation in its last 15 games ... The Tigers are 9-4-1 on the road, the best mark after 14 road games since the 2004-05 season (9-2-2) ... CC's seven sweeps this season are the most since the 2007-08 campaign (10) ... The Tigers are seventh in the nation with a .545 faceoff winning percentage ... CC is second in the NCHC and tied for 11th in the country in goals allowed per game (2.5) ...  Noah Laba is third in the nation with seven game-winning goals, the most by a Tiger in one season since Brett Sterling had eight during the 2005-06 campaign ... Laba is the first Tiger to record at least 22 points in each of his first two seasons at CC since Jaden Schwartz (2010-11 and '11-12) ... Laba leads the NCHC in game-winning goals (6) and +/- (+16), and is tied for first in goals scored (13) in conference games only ... Logan Will is fifth in the NCHC in faceoff win percentage (.587).

Mbereko Earns Third Straight Monthly NCHC Award
For the third straight month, Kaidan Mbereko was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Month. In February, Mbereko posted a 3-2-1 record and led the NCHC in saves (168) and save percentage (.939). He was second in the league in GAA (1.79). Mbereko had a career-high 43 saves in the 6-2 victory over then-No. 2 North Dakota on Feb. 17, then had 41 saves, the second-most in his career, in a 1-1 tie at Omaha on Feb. 24. He was also named the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for December and January and is just the second player in NCHC history to win a monthly award three straight months.

Three is the Number
The Tigers are 15-1 this season when scoring three or more goals. The only loss was a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Augustana. CC is 17-4-1 when it allows three goals or less.

Youngsters Scoring  
Freshmen and sophomores have combined for 62 of the team's 92 goals and 144 of the 233 points. 41 of CC's last 58 goals, including 22 of the last 30, have been scored by freshmen or sophomores.  

16 Televised Games This Season
Colorado College is excited to announce a new partnership with SOCO CW, which will televise 14 games during the upcoming 2023-24 season. SOCO CW is available to viewers throughout Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Southern Colorado. CBS Sports Network will televise two games nationally, Jan. 19 vs. Miami and March 8 vs. Denver.

Tigers Picked Seventh in NCHC Preseason Poll
Colorado College was picked seventh in the 2023-24 NCHC Preseason Poll.

1.    Denver – 199 points (11 first-place votes)
2.    North Dakota – 175 (12)
3.    St. Cloud State – 155 (2)
4.    Western Michigan - 126 (2)
5.    Minnesota Duluth – 123 (1)
6.    Omaha - 113
7.    Colorado College – 89
8.    Miami - 28